Curriculum

Choose to concentrate in one of three areas

Evolutionary Biology

Ecology/Population Biology

Behavior/Physiology

Each area has a specialized set of core courses. In selecting their minimum of 29 graduate course hours, students enroll in at least two core courses from their chosen area of concentration and at least one core course from one of the other two areas. Additional courses come from a varied and changing list of accessory graduate courses whose topics reflect current faculty and student interests and important developments in the respective fields. In consultation with their advisory committees, students tailor their formal course training to their general and specific research interests. A weekly seminar series provides advanced students the opportunity to gain experience in presenting research talks and promotes critical thinking among students in the audience. In addition to these graduate biology courses, students receive biostatistics training through at least one graduate course in statistics.

First-year students can participate in rotations through cognate research labs during their first semester. During their second semester, doctoral-level students choose a lab in which to pursue Ph.D. research, assemble a faculty advisory committee, and design a preliminary research project so that they embark on a first summer research season.

Student spotlight: Elizabeth George

I am a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Kim Rosvall, where we study mechanisms of behavior and how they evolve. I am especially interested in how female aggression/competition may change over the course of the breeding season. With access to 200+ nest boxes we have set up around Bloomington, I am able to experimentally test hypotheses about function and mechanism using free-living birds.

I was drawn to the Rosvall lab and the EEB program by the wide variety of techniques being used to address interesting and important questions in behavioral ecology. I am thrilled to be part of such a vibrant research community, where I have access to top-notch resources and expertise that enable my development as a scientist.